19-12-2018
Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning, Mark Langdon and Marcus Bean discuss the Champions League draw, dour management, Xherdan Shaqiri’s career revival, goalmouth scrambles and a message for listeners in TogoJoin the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.We look back at the weekend’s football action, starting with Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Manchester United, which has done something for the Anfield side’s title-challenging credentials, and nothing for José Mourinho’s job prospects. Continue reading...

19-12-2018
After three deaths in five months in France and with politicians now demanding answers, has the sport become too brutal?Last Wednesday Nicolas Chauvin was killed after he was injured playing rugby. Chauvin was 18, a student at the Paris Descartes University, and a flanker in the academy at Stade Français. He was playing for their under-21 team against UBB when he was caught in a two-man tackle that broke his neck, caused a cardiac arrest, and cut off the oxygen supply to his brain. Chauvin had signed with the club only in June but had made such a strong impression that he’d already been training with the senior squad. His family said the last six months were the happiest of his life. Related: &#39;He doesn’t play in a dinner suit&#39;: the 25 best rugby union quotes of 2018 | Robert Kitson Continue reading...

19-12-2018
For the last five years, Copa90 have been making films about the biggest derbies in the world. Now for the biggestA film by Copa90, part of the Guardian Sport NetworkOn the ground at the Superclásico final in Buenos Aires ... and MadridThe two biggest football clubs in Argentina? The fiercest rivalry in South America? The best derby in the world? Every superlative was used to describe the first ever Superclásico final in the Copa Libertadores. As the eyes of the world turned towards Buenos Aires, our team of filmmakers set off to experience the “final to end all finals” first hand. Everyone expects controversy from this fixture, but no one could have predicted what happened between these two teams over two legs in two continents.First off, Boca’s home tie at La Bombonera. After a biblical rainstorm led to a 24-hour delay, the football gods finally gave the fans the moment they had been waiting for all their lives on Sunday 11 November. The first of the two ties ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw. The away goals rule was not in play, so the tie was perfectly poised before the second leg. Continue reading...

19-12-2018
Zinedine Zidane, Mauricio Pochettino and Antonio Conte are possible contenders to be José Mourinho’s long-term successorMourinho sacked after United’s worst start in 28 yearsThe former France international is currently out of work after leaving Real Madrid last summer following the victory over Liverpool in the Champions League final. Remarkably, that was his third triumph in the competition in only two and a half years in charge. Is unlikely to join a club until next summer, which could suit United. Continue reading...

19-12-2018
Briton Tom Butler believes he may have broken the world record for surfing the biggest ever wave after successfully riding a huge swell at Nazaré in Portugal on 14 December.The 29-year-old says the wave was estimated to be more than 100ft tall. The current official record is 80ft, which was set last year by Brazilian Rodrigo Koxa also at Nazaré.Butler said surfing the wave was like &#39;running away from a raging bull&#39;. It is likely he will have to wait for the WSL Big Wave Awards in April 2019 for official confirmation on whether he broke the world record.Surfing and skateboarding receive huge Olympic boost from UK Sport Continue reading...

19-12-2018
• South American champions beaten on penalties by UAE side• Real Madrid face Kashima Antlers on WednesdayThe South American champions, River Plate, were upset by Al Ain in the Club World Cup on Tuesday, losing in a penalty shootout after the semi-final finished 2-2 after extra-time.Al Ain’s players converted all five penalties before the goalkeeper Khalid Eisa saved Enzo Pérez’s fifth shot for River to seal a 5-4 victory. Continue reading...

19-12-2018
Manchester United fans outside Old Trafford reacted positively to the news of José Mourinho’s sacking on Tuesday, saying it would give the team a boost on the pitchJosé Mourinho sacked: Manchester United to appoint caretaker – live!José Mourinho sacked by Manchester United after worst start in 28 yearsManchester United fans on Mourinho: the ‘serial winner’ who had to go Continue reading...

19-12-2018
From Eddie Jones’s praise for ‘tough rooster’ Owen Farrell to Ellis Genge questioning rugby’s inclusivity and Ben Moon’s bouncy castle call-up“Is the international game under threat? I think it is. Look at the balance sheets of some nations and you can see exactly where we stand. If you ask me as a businessman, the business side of rugby is not working. By the 2019 World Cup we need to have a blueprint for the next 10 years. I’m not going to be an accomplice to rugby’s ruin” – World Rugby’s Agustín Pichot issues a stark global warning.“I don’t think the natural talent in New Zealand is better than some of the talent we have on this side of the world. Defensively in Europe we are more advanced than they are, most definitely” – Ronan O’Gara, currently Crusaders assistant coach. Continue reading...

19-12-2018
• Arsenal manager praises Pochettino’s work at Spurs• Arsenal play Spurs in Carabao Cup quarter-finals on WednesdayUnai Emery has questioned whether Mauricio Pochettino would want to leave Tottenham to join Manchester United next summer.The Arsenal manager, whose team play Spurs in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night, is friends with Pochettino and claimed the Argentinian does not need to move. Continue reading...

19-12-2018
The Tottenham manager has been in Manchester United’s sights before and has enhanced his CV since – will the stars align this time?Mauricio Pochettino has been here before – with Manchester United and Real Madrid – and it is tempting to suggest that he has now perfected the tap-dance.On one side of the fine line, the Tottenham manager talks up the respect he has for his employer; his happiness in north London; his focus on the job in hand; his professionalism. And on the other, there are a series of expansive shrugs. Who knows what the future might hold? It is known as showing a bit of ankle. Continue reading...

19-12-2018
Middlesbrough supporters know better than to underestimate a Clough and, by the end, there was a sense that few on Teesside begrudged Nigel Clough’s achievement in leading League One Burton Albion into the semi-finals.Which is not to say they exempted Tony Pulis or his players from blame on a night when Southampton loanee Jake Hesketh’s fine goal separated the sides and there were sufficient robust boos to suggest Boro’s manager is starting to be seen as more problem than solution. Continue reading...